The Sleeping Curse
by CharmedWriter11
Summary: Canon AU set during the Missing Year. The one thing he wanted from this world was to make sure that nothing happened to her. But you can't save someone from herself. Especially when that person is the Evil Queen.
1. Prologue 1

So this is my first story that's not Charmed related and first published outlaw queen story. Basically it's an AU set during "Witch Hunt" which is where most of the dialogue comes from. I own nothing. If there is a demand then I may turn this into a full story, I do have the idea for it. So tell me what you think and if I should continue this. Set during the Missing Year as you will see.

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Regina was making a trip to her castle, the very one that her sister had taken over and wanted to go alone. Snow and Charming protested the trip saying how it was too dangerous but she didn't listen to them. Robin volunteered to go with and surprising she allowed for him to accompany her, but only him no one else and that put the prince and princess at ease. He wondered if she genuinely wanted him there or accepted his offer to shut the Charmings up. Either way it had been settled, they would be leaving in the morning. Regina stood, gave him a snippy comment - the kind that usually started a mini bickering match between the two - but left before Robin could reply. He stood to follow her, not about to allow her to have the last word, but was held back by a gentle tug on his arm from Snow White. There was a look in the princess' eyes that he understood as "Regina needs time" for what he wasn't sure but he simply nodded and headed back to his place in the merry men's camp that had been set not too far from the castle's walls.

In the morning he kissed his son goodbye promising he would be home soon safely and that the boy was to listen to whatever Little John had asked. And his small dimpled smile nodded in understanding. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Snow and Charming saying their goodbyes to Regina. It looked like both woman were holding back tears. Something that shocked the hooded thief having known of the stories of how The Evil Queen wanted Snow's head. Maybe this other land has changed them somehow.

But within a blink of an eye, the poise and composure he associated with the Regal had returned and already she turned sharply towards him.

"What are you starring at thief?" Her voice cut through him. He knew she used that tone to enact fear in her subjects but to him it instead sent shivers down his spine. He was aroused by it for whatever odd reason and decided that she could boss him like that right into bed…

He cleared his thoughts realizing he still had yet to speak and was still gaping at her. Her hand was on her hip, her impatience evident on her face and it took all that he had in him not to kiss it all away.

He was shocked at himself for the thoughts crossing his head. He had no idea where his thoughts of desiring her had come from. Sure she was one of the most stunning women he'd ever encountered but she was the Queen and he was a thief certainly someone who would never have an actual chance with her. But he surmised didn't mean he couldn't dream.

He closed his mouth as he thought about what he was going to say. "I was looking at you to see if you were ready to leave milady." He knew she hated that name, wanting him to call her "her majesty" and even if she was the queen, somehow that just didn't fit for her. She sneered and said nothing as she turned away.

Quickly he followed her. He's seen her walk before but it still always surprised him at how fast she could walk even in the dresses that looked like they weighed 30 pounds, but yet she still walked quickly and with elegance only a queen could possess. Of course he was captivated by her but again he could never be good enough for her.

The walk to the castle would take less than a day but he was grateful that he got to spend time with her. He wondered what was so important that she wanted to risk her own life to retrieve it but he'd still never ask assuming it was something that would get rid of the Wicked Witch. They walked mostly in silence, the need for small talk didn't intrigue either of them. Oddly enough the silence between them was comfortable. Occasionally they talked a little bit to help the time pass by. Stories of their childhoods but nothing too deep before they returned to the silence.

When they arrived at the castle both Robin and Regina were on guard looking out for any more of the Wicked Witch's flying beasts. Luckily the only one encountered was easily killed by her. They then snuck in to the castle.

The castle was gorgeous but he had known that. Not that he'd ever been here but the tales he had heard about the castle illustrated its beauty. Besides it once belonged to Regina. He highly doubted that the queen would have settled for anything but extravagant.

He followed as she made her way through the most secretive of passages even ones that thieves couldn't imagine existed and before long they were in her chambers. Again he was on guard for a certain green witch as per her request. She opened a box on her dressing table.

"What is that?" He asked when he looked back at her.

"Nothing that concerns you." She didn't look at him focusing on the contents of the box.

He walked closer, reaching for an arrow, ready to try and fight her if she attacked him first. He had meant what he had said before walking into the vault that he hadn't wanted Roland to lose his father too and he automatically had to put his guard up against her to protect himself from her just in case. He aimed it at her, not wanting to shoot but needing answers. She hadn't seemed to notice still busy looking for something in the black box.

"I won't ask you again. What is that?" His questions finally forced her to turn and look at him. He was steady not about to give in to her harsh look.

"How dare you threaten me in my own castle!" She rang out, her voice echoing the halls of the large room before she instantly placed him in a magical choke hold causing him to stumble back slightly.

"Even if you choke the life out of me this arrow will still leave my bow and trust me I never miss. Now what manner of dark potion are you making?" He chocked out still trying to keep his arm steady. He hides his fear. He has to be strong for Roland. Luckily she lets him go with a huff before any damage is done. He catches his breath not dropping his bow

"A sleeping curse." Her harsh tone has disappeared as she turns away from him and gets back to her potion.

He finally drops his bow when her back is to him again. "The kind you used on Snow White?"

"That spell came from Maleficent. I finally learned how to make one of my own." She adds more to her potion.

"This spell. This is why you wanted to come to the castle." It's more of a statement than a question. She pays him no attention as she keeps mixing the concoction.

"Ingredients like these are hard to come by. Especially when you have Snow White breathing down your neck every second of the day." He frowns at her, not quite sure what to make of this.

"That was your plan? To use it on the witch?" At least if that was the case he could support her mission to come here in the first place.

"The witch? I don't care about her." His eyes never leave her as her potion seems to be finished and Robin feels betrayed and is angry she made this trek in the first place.

"Then who do you plan to use it on?" A million different people cross his mind as he tries not to think about them. No need to fear or worry just yet.

"Don't worry. No one you'll miss." She turns towards him briefly before she's sitting down, reaching for a pin in her beautiful raven-colored hair. "No one anyone will miss." Her voice is soft and he barely hears it. It's then that it dawns on him who the next victim of this sleeping curse will be. Herself.

"This is about your son isn't it?" He begins to walk towards her. He's trying so desperately to stop her from making this huge mistake. He's well aware of the fact that she has no true love here to break her from this curse, and he knows so is she. Meaning that the Evil Queen will be forced to spend all of eternity asleep and he can't allow that. "I can't let you do this." His blue eyes pleading, hoping he can change her mind.

"It's a good thing you don't have a say in the matter." She replies softy still not looking up from her potion until she senses that he's moved towards her and she freezes his feet. He struggles to break free even though he knows it's frivolous.

"I know how you feel, Regina." He tries once more scared for her wellbeing. This isn't the best way to handle her emotions and he wants her to understand that. She simply twirls the pin in her hand her eyes not leaving it.

"I doubt that." And before he can say anything else she sticks herself with the pin.

He unfreezes the second that her eyes close and he's able to catch her before she falls out of the chair. He shakes her desperately, but it's too late.

Regina Mills, the Evil Queen is lost to the world for forever.


	2. Prologue 2

Here is the next one. All of the reviews and follows motivated me to continue this story. Sorry it took so long to update I've been busy with school. Also this story will be taking different points of view from the different characters but mostly from Robin. I am going to try to make each chapter a little longer but make no promises. This chapter is set in Regina's point of view and I'm sorry that it's a little repetitive especially the dialogue again from "Witch Hunt" but it's to help you understand Regina's decision a little more. So I hope you enjoy it and please review because they make my day and keep me motivated to keep writing.

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Pain.

That's all that she had felt since she had arrived back in this wretched land without Henry. He had been the reason that she had even gotten out of bed in the mornings back in Storybrooke, especially once the curse had been broken and the UnCharmigs (as she liked to call them) had been reunited. She was lucky that they hadn't been successful in taking Henry away from her, even though in the end they still had to be separated and she was cursed to never get to see him once more.

Her heart longed for him and she wondered if this had been what her curse had felt like to everyone else. She wished that she could at least magically peak in on him, that the incompetent Emma was raising him right and that he was okay. But with Snow's persistence to always be around her, she had little time to do just that. Not that she didn't appreciate the fact that her former enemy didn't want for Regina to wallow away, she was tired of it and needed to be alone. So that she could mourn. So that she could rid herself of the pain - at least a little for she knew she could never get over the pain of losing a child, her child. She may not have birthed him, but she was his mother no matter what the idiot Charmings or Emma tried to say.

She just wanted her son.

Something she knew that she would not have again.

She knew that she needed to try and live her life, and be the queen that her people needed her to be. After all there was a witch after them and they seemed to be disappearing as more of those damn monkeys came around. Not that she would care what happened to them normally, but since they all were forced to live together at the winter castle, the monkeys attacking them usually meant that they were going to attack her. And she couldn't very well die and would rather not receive a lecture from anyone on why she let someone die. Besides she was still trying to be a better woman than she was before. Because even if he didn't remember it, she wasn't going to break her promise to her little prince. She did not need for it to get back to him that she had reverted back to her old ways the second he wasn't around, should they ever be reunited. And maybe it was stupid to have hope, because having hope had gotten her no where before, but hanging around Snow seemed to instill that damn four letter word back into her vocabulary once more. So she secretly hoped she'd get to see Henry again and she wanted him to be proud of her if they ever did cross paths. She knew she wouldn't be able to handle if he ever told her he hated her again and was determined to be someone worthy of his love.

There seemed to be way to many four letter words in her vocabulary as of late: hope, love, and pain. Although it was mostly pain, the other two made the pain a little better (but not by much).

Another thing that really seemed to melt away her pain was the little thief Roland. Him and his dimpled smiled had most certainly seemed to win the former Evil Queen over. Seeing him made her day better and maybe with his help, she'd be able to get over this miserable life.

Though she doubted that still. Her pain was still too great for even the little boy to help her overcome and it was something she couldn't expect him to be able to do. After all it wasn't like she had a claim on him. That he was officially someone she could call her own. Not unless she married the outlaw that was the boy's father, a thought that shook her to the core with disgust. He was an irritating (though handsome) man and just being around him made her blood boil (and she most certainly would never admit how she wished to rip off his clothes and have him until he listened to her). No she could not be with that man and never would. Sure the old her would've killed the man and stolen his son from him, but she wouldn't break up a family the same way that hers had been and would settle for just being the dimpled child's friend.

As much as she hated being around everyone, she had to admit that she did not focus on her pain as much. Nights were worst. Most of them were sleepless and she spent them sobbing at the loss of her son. She spent countless hours thinking of him an worrying about him until the morning where she had to do it all over again. She wondered many things most of which she knew she would never have the answers to and it pained her.

One thing in particular that she wondered about was if he still had nightmares from the sleeping curse and if Emma had found a way to explain them as she soothed their son. She would have to kill that woman if she had failed Henry in that way for no boy should have to deal with them.

And that's when the idea struck. There was a way for her to see Henry again. A sleeping curse. The ingredients would be next to impossible to gather with snow around her all of the time, but if she could pull it off she'd get to see Henry for herself and be there to guide him and soothe him in the flame room. She was surprised that she hadn't thought of it sooner. There really was a way to be with Henry again. She may never wake from the curse but she would be okay with that completely. Even if somehow they found a way back to Henry and Emma, Henry would be able to wake her up. Really it seemed like a win-win situation in her head and besides Snow and little Roland, no one would miss her. And even the two would find a way to move on from her being gone.

No it was perfect. A way to rid herself of the pain and the responsibility of being the queen and finally a chance to have her desired peace and quiet. Of course making the potion would be difficult. Snow hadn't let Regina bury her heart, she sure as hell wasn't going to let her go through with this.

A defeated sighed graced her lips until she remembered that there was left over potion at her castle and that she could convince them to let her go and retrieve it an then all of her troubles would be over. She smiled and slept peacefully that night, feeling relived and looking forward to the sleeping curse. She didn't think of how challenging it would be for her to get into her own castle or convincing the prince and princess, but it would all be worth it. For Henry.

The next day she was pleasantly surprised when they agreed to let her go to her castle. It was probably because she claimed that she had something there that would defeat the witch. It all seemed to be falling into place. That was of course until the blasted thief opened his mouth and volunteered to escort her, and the UnCharmigs agreeing. Curse him. What right did he have to fuck up her plan? She knew she'd have to lose him or something to get what she wanted but also knew that if she didn't play nice, the UnCharmings would change their minds. So she said a snappy remark and played nice. In a few days none of this would matter to her anyways.

Their things were packed and goodbyes were said. Surprisingly her goodbye to Snow was harder than she imagined. Maybe because she knew that she wouldn't see her ever again and they had worked out a lot of their issues and were slowly making their way to being friends. She wouldn't dwell on that though, for she feared that she would change her mind.

She looked at the thief and demanded to know why he was staring. After a moment of him continue to gawk at her, he asked if she was ready and the two headed off.

The entire time, she thought about killing the thief but then poor Roland would have no one there to raise him, especially since she wouldn't be there. Luckily he wasn't his usual annoying self so it was better. She tried also not to think how she wished before she cast this curse on herself how she wished she knew what it was like for the thief to moan her name as she rode him to her climax, but she figured it was something she could live without.

Once at her castle she hurriedly rushed to her dresser and pulled out the vial of the sleeping curse that she had left over. Luckily the witch that inhabited her castle hadn't found it. She no longer focused on her travel companion, even when he began to question her.

"What is that?" The thief's voice rang out from behind her.

"Nothing that concerns you." She played off his question hoping that it would deter him.

But the annoying thief, kept trying to ask her questions she'd rather not have to answer. "I won't ask you again. What is that?" There was something more serious in his voice this time and it got her to turn around to face him only to see him aiming an arrow at her.

She grew angry. "How dare you threaten me in my own castle!" She had missed how these walls echoed her voice as she placed the thief in a chokehold. She wouldn't kill him, she had made that promise to herself because of the son he'd left back at the castle. At least this would shut him up until her work was done.

"Even if you choke the life out of me this arrow will still leave my bow and trust me I never miss. Now what manner of dark potion are you making?"

She knew he was right an she released him with a huff. "A sleeping curse." Regina finally tells, the anger in her voice gone and she goes back to her work, the outlaw once again behind her.

"The kind you used on Snow White?"

Why won't this man just let her work in place. It's not like the witch could be back at any moment. She's not sure why she answers him, but she does as she keeps making the potion. "That spell came from Maleficent. I finally learned how to make one of my own."

"This spell. This is why you wanted to come to the castle." He replies with more of a statement than a question and still she's not sure why she's keeping this conversation going.

"Ingredients like these are hard to come by. Especially when you have Snow White breathing down your neck every second of the day." Her back is still towards him and she's still working though she knows it's almost complete which means she that much closer to being with Henry.

"That was your plan? To use it on the witch?" Robin asks her and Regina bites back a laugh at the thought that she'd waste such a precious curse on the witch inhabiting her castle.

"The witch? I don't care about her." And she doesn't. The witch can kill Snow White and everyone else in her castle along with have all her jewelry. None of that matters without Henry anyways.

"Then who do you plan to use it on?"

"Don't worry. No one you'll miss." She finally turns towards him and reaches for a pin in her hair to complete the potion, which is cooling in her hand. And truly she doesn't think anyone will miss her. Heck she won't even miss herself when she's been cursed. "No one anyone will miss." She replies softly, barely audible.

The thief is smarter than what she gave him credit for because it seems like he's figured out her plan after all. "This is about your son isn't it?" He begins to walk towards her, his beautiful blue eyes never leaving hers but she doesn't look up from her potion. "I can't let you do this."

She feels like there is more than just concern in his demand. Maybe even a trace of love? But no, no one could actually love her especially not some common, dirty, forest-smelling thief. She has to hold back a laugh but still gives a stern, sassy reply. It's a good thing you don't have a say in the matter." She looks up and realizes he's much closer than she had thought. No one is stopping her from seeing her son so she freezes his feet. This is too important not to go through. And she won't let him stop her.

"I know how you feel, Regina." And she knows he's faced loss in his life, but nothing compares to the loss of a child, something he clearly hadn't felt. She feels anger and sadness and she still wants to incarnate the man, but instead twirls the pin dipped in the potion in her hand.

"I doubt that." She says a lot more confidently than she feels and pricks herself with the pin. Her eyes close and she feels like she's falling but she knows that the curse is working. She doesn't even care what happens to her body. Because finally she will see Henry and be reunited with him.

She feels oddly calm at that thought as the darkness consumes her and surrounds her. Now all she has to do is find her way into the room of fire. To Henry. Then she will have her happy ending.


	3. Chapter 1

Thank you for the reviews and continued support. Sorry for the delay. This ones back to robins point of view. I may keep switching back and forth between Robin and Regina's point of view so that you know what Regina is going through, but I'm not sure if I want to do it every chapter or every few chapters. Feedback is welcome. Anyways enough rambling more story. Mistakes are mine, I own nothing but the plot(ish). Enjoy.

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He doesn't even have time to react before she goes limp before him. Instinctively, he catches her, scoops her into his arms before she can fall and hit her head. That's all for her to need is to wake up from a sleeping curse with a head injury. Of course there is still the manner of waking her up. He knows that it won't be easy, that most likely no one in this land loves her that much to give her True Love's kiss. Even he couldn't. Sure he may have had some inkling of feelings towards the woman currently in his arms, but he's not sure what those feelings are. He's never felt so alive as when he's with her, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's love, let alone True Love. And all he'd need is to be disappointed when the kiss wouldn't work. He's already been too hurt by love in the past, and doesn't know if he can open his heart in that way again.

He hears the whistling of wind and he pulls Regina closer. He fears as if the Wicked Witch is about to fly in here at any moment. Regina is unavailable to help and he knows he doesn't stand a chance against the witch on his own. What's worse is that he knows the Wicked Witch wouldn't be alone; that one if her blasted monkeys would be with her. Since he was holding Regina, there would be no time to even draw his bow and shoot an arrow. They'd both be goners for sure.

He begins to walk out of the room, back the way that they came, his hold on Regina tightening. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever imagine him being this close to Regina. There is a smug comment in the back of his head about him only being this close to her because she's unconscious and if she was awake he'd be incinerated. The voice sounds awfully like Regina. He chooses to ignore it.

He hates her in this moment. For being so selfish and stupid. Did she not care that she could be killed? Did she not care that he had to clean up her mess - he knew that answer to that one but again didn't want to dwell on it.

Lifting her up more in his arms like a groom does on his wedding day, he cradled her impossibly close and made his way out of the castle as quickly as he could.

At least that was one less issue to deal with.

Now he had to figure out a way back to Snow and Charming's castle, the castle he now calls home. To carry her the entire way would be beyond tiresome and he couldn't just leave her. Not with the Wicked Witch and her flying monkeys coming after her. And he also knew he didn't want to leave her. That whatever feelings he had for her were strong enough that he didn't want to leave her. He rather still enjoyed her company and felt that connection to her even as she lay unconscious. He just wished he could sort out his feelings already. He'd have a lot of time to do that on his journey back he supposed.

He sighed and shook his head out of frustration. He silently cursed his honor sometimes. An honorable man would never just leave a damsel in distress. Through he knew that Regina was no damsel. Even like this he still wouldn't consider her to be a damsel; only a woman in pain. He laughed softly then thinking about her reaction to this situation had it been reversed or if she could see herself like this. She'd make some sassy remark about it all, he was sure.

Already he was finding he missed being sassed by her.

He was more in love with her than he assumed. But that didn't matter. The queen was lost to everyone now for the rest of eternity.

He mused that he and everyone one around them must have mistaken her sass for her being okay at the separation from her son. But they were wrong. So wrong. Looking back he realized that sass was used to mask the pain. Of course she wasn't over the loss of her son and he couldn't imagine the pain that she was in. The loss of a child was unlike any other. He should have remembered that when he had saved a pregnant Marian all those years ago. How much sleep he had lost simply because he feared losing her and losing their child. How much pain that put him in. And his pain was a mere fraction of hers - he guessed - since his pain would never have driven him to do this.

He recalled how Snow referred to Regina as a woman with a big heart who had been crushed by pain after pain. Even if she had put up walls around her heart so impenetrable that no one could get in and hurt her heart, there was no doubt in his mind that none of that applied to her son. She loved her son freely and openly and not having him there must have really taken its toll. Especially on a woman who had lost all her other loves in her life as it was.

Out of the castle and in the safety of the woods, Robin paused and looked down at Regina's face. At least she looked at peace. Whatever her reasoning for doing this was, at least the curse finally brought her peace. She deserved it after all of the pain she'd been put through. He sighed once more and wished that wherever she was, she was finding her happiness. Then maybe her putting herself under this curse wouldn't be so tragic.

After looking at her for what felt like an eternity (but not even close to long enough) Robin began to walk again. He decided that he would stop somewhere and make camp. There was no way he'd make it back to the castle carrying her in one trip. Not that she was heavy, quite the opposite actually, but that his muscles already begun to grow tired and he'd need the rest eventually.

Since he was fine at the moment, he carried her through the forest determined to go as far as he could. He had a son to return to, and he had to return her body back to the castle as soon as possible. After all someone there had to know how to fix this. There was no way he was going to simply accept that this would be her fate for the rest of forever.

He felt like a failure. He had volunteered to see her off. To make sure the Wicked Witch didn't hurt her. Not that Regina wasn't capable of protecting herself - she'd done that for years now - but now she had people in her corner. Now she didn't have to protect herself. Others would be willing to help her fight the monsters away.

But she didn't see that and she took the easy way out before even giving them a chance. He was going to have an angry word with her about that once they woke her up. If they got her to wake up. He shook his head. He couldn't think like that. He had to remain hopeful. That would be the only way that they'd be able to save her: with hope.

Though it's very hard to save someone from herself.

But boy was he willing to try. He wasn't the typical knight in shinning armor that he had heard about. The ones that always saved the princesses around here. But Regina wasn't a helpless princess. And maybe she didn't need a knight in shinning armor, but instead a common forest-dwelling thief. She wasn't typical and her story most certainly wouldn't have a typical ending either. He just couldn't give up on her. Which was something he didn't want to do. He looked down at the sleeping Queen and paused once more. He took a deep breath and vowed never to give up on her and to protect her and find a way to wake her up. He also vowed to never leave her side for as long as she needed him to be. Of course he couldn't bring himself to say these words out loud. A part of him feared that she would just wake up at any moment; that she was only napping. As ridiculous as that thought was, what was worse was that he was mortified at the thought of her actually waking up and hearing his vow to her. Certainly she'd never let him live that down.

But he tried not to think of the sass she would give him if she could hear his thoughts. It made him miss her that much more and he knew that he didn't have the right to miss her. He had no claim on her and yet he found himself missing her all the same. He sighed and shook his head only thinking of the vows he just made. Though silent, he knew that the universe had heard his promises to her so they were binding. And as an honorable man he never broke his promises.

More determined than ever by his silent vows, he shifted her slightly in his arms to give himself a little break as he kept walking through the forest back to the castle. There was only one thought that he kept having over and over again as he walked: Save Regina.


End file.
